Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety86#126/924
Economy67#310/925
Housing6#869/925
Health97#33/925
Healthcare97#26/923
Environment59#377/917
Education98#16/925
Infrastructure98#18/925
Community65#325/925
Leisure & amenities87#122/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Uninsured residents (under 65) · low2.1%
100/100Massachusetts 3.3%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Flu vaccinations · high61.0%
99/100Massachusetts 55.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Traffic deaths · low5.3 /100k
99/100Massachusetts 5.4 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from counties
Mental health providers · high1,150 /100k
99/100Massachusetts 787 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Adult obesity · low24.4%
99/100Massachusetts 26.9%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Bachelor's degree or higher · high51.6%
98/100Massachusetts 47.3%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

New business applications · low6.9 /1k
2/100Massachusetts 11.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Rent-burdened households · high56.5%
8/100Massachusetts 51.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · high32.7%
11/100Massachusetts 30.9%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Child care cost burden · high37.5%
13/100Massachusetts 39.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · high1.36%
14/100Massachusetts 1.00%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Depression · high27.8%
15/100Massachusetts 24.4%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
148,597 (2020) → 164,065 (2025)
+10%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 32% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+32 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Firearm deathsWorsening
4.4 /100k (2021) → 8.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+82%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
77.2% (2010 & 2021) → 92.9% (2022 & 2024)
+16 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
High ozone daysImproving
3 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
−67%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Drug overdose deathsImproving
30.0 /100k (2021) → 12.9 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−57%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area improved on 8 of 23 measures with a comparison and declined on 8. 0 moved within the margin of error and 7 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2020 with 2025); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved8

Overdose deaths−44%23.2 /100k → 12.9 /100k
Unemployment−3.5 points7.7% → 4.2%
Bachelor's++3.3 points48.3% → 51.6%
Arts & recreation+6.6%6.5 /10k → 6.9 /10k
Property crime−19%983 /100k → 798 /100k

Declined8

Firearm deaths+116%3.7 /100k → 8.0 /100k
Violent crime+13%227 /100k → 257 /100k
Homicides+18%1.7 /100k → 2.0 /100k
Restaurants−11%11.0 /10k → 9.8 /10k
Suicides+28%8.2 /100k → 10.5 /100k

All 23 measures

Change of every measure of Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	6.5 /10k2020	6.9 /10k2025	+6.6%	Improved	44%
Average commute time	23.6 min2015-2019	23.2 min2020-2024	−0.4 min	Little change	75%
Bachelor's degree or higher	48.3%2015-2019	51.6%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Improved	61%
Broadband subscriptions	87.8%2015-2019	92.9%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Improved	9%
Distance to an airport	27 mi2020	27 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	25%
Drug overdose deaths	23.2 /100k2020	12.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−44%	Improved	74%
Firearm deaths	3.7 /100k2020	8.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+116%	Declined	1%
Grocery stores	1.7 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	−2.5%	Little change	40%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.6 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	−1.9%	Little change	35%
High school diploma or higher	94.7%2015-2019	95.4%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Little change	19%
Homicide rate	1.7 /100k2020	2.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+18%	Declined	12%
Income adjusted for local prices	$55,0162019	$65,2742024	+19%	Improved	1%
New business applications	6.4 /1k2020	6.9 /1k2025	+9%	Improved	8%
Pharmacies	2.2 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	−21%	Declined	19%
Property crime rate	983 /100k2020	798 /100k2025	−19%	Improved	21%
Public libraries	1.5 /10k2019	1.5 /10k2024	−5.8%	Declined	22%
Public transit commuters	3.0%2015-2019	2.8%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	54%
Rent-burdened households	53.6%2015-2019	56.6%2020-2024	+3 points	Declined	32%
Restaurants and bars	11.0 /10k2020	9.8 /10k2025	−11%	Declined	12%
Suicide rate	8.2 /100k2020	10.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+28%	Declined	18%
Traffic deaths	5.1 /100k2015-2019	5.3 /100k2020-2024	+4.5%	Little change	54%
Unemployment rate	7.7%2020	4.2%2025	−3.5 points	Improved	65%
Violent crime rate	227 /100k2020	257 /100k2025	+13%	Declined	16%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area itself moved −4.8 points in standing on average over the same 22 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

162,028 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

62,114 households (±588)

Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area
United States share

Under $25k15%9,080
$25k–50k16%9,941
$50k–75k13%8,279
$75k–100k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

62,114 households (±588)

Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area
United States share

Own68%42,116
Rent32%19,998

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

80,118 workers (±1,241)

Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area
United States share

Drive alone64%51,675
Carpool5.2%4,190
Public transit2.8%2,204
Walk

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA employ 15,080 people. 8 pay a median above the US median and 2 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Home Health and Personal Care Aides2,350 jobs	2,350	$41,700US $35,800	+16%	1.29×
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,080 jobs	2,080	$34,350US $31,200	+10%	1.28×
Retail Salespersons1,790 jobs	1,790	$36,630US $35,410	+3%	1.09×
General and Operations Managers1,600 jobs	1,600	$98,200US $105,770	−7%	1.08×
Office Clerks, General1,400 jobs	1,400	$52,190US $45,010	+16%	1.35×
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive1,250 jobs	1,250	$51,100US $47,540	+7%	1.74×
Cashiers1,210 jobs	1,210	$35,130US $32,880	+7%	0.93×
Registered Nurses1,150 jobs	1,150	$101,270US $97,550	+4%	0.8×
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General1,140 jobs	1,140	$51,640US $49,590	+4%	1.77×
Stockers and Order Fillers1,110 jobs	1,110	$36,730US $37,330	−2%	0.93×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Amherst Town-Northampton, MA has 3,491 employer establishments, 211 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248), with 49,009 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,520. The Census Bureau also counts 14,183 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,491; 14,183 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 211; US 248
Paid employees: 49,009
Average annual pay: $51,520; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Amherst Town-Northampton, MA by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	307	18.6	1.01×About typical	4,819	$25,465	27
Ambulatory health care services	262	15.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	3,382	$71,789	1,341
Specialty trade contractors	253	15.3	0.99×About typical	1,322	$75,747	801
Full-service restaurants	137	8.3	1.08×About typical	2,150	$28,720	13
Services to buildings and dwellings	131	7.9	1.18×About typical	642	$43,500	454
Construction of buildings	129	7.8	1.03×About typical	489	$65,106	306
Schools, colleges and instruction	111	6.7	1.92×More than typical	9,618	$43,702	965
Building equipment contractors	109	6.6	1.10×About typical	567	$71,503	183
Limited-service restaurants	106	6.4	0.80×Fewer than typical	1,863	$23,719	8
Landscaping services	101	6.1	1.75×More than typical	346	$55,861	199
Lessors of real estate	99	6	0.49×Fewer than typical	411	$50,482	1,109
Offices of other health practitioners	94	5.7	0.94×About typical	465	$57,344	984

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 165,217 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $144.5M on contracts performed in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area: $881 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $144.5M; +17% vs FY2025
Per resident: $881; US $2,007
Sole-source: 35%; US 30%
Single offer: 45%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$51.3M36%
National Institutes of Health$39.5M27%
Department of Veterans Affairs$29.1M20%
Defense Contract Management Agency$14.4M9.9%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$4.8M3.3%
Defense Logistics Agency$3.2M2.2%
Defense Health Agency$1.3M0.9%
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency$589.7K0.4%

Top recipients

NATIONAL COLLEGIATE INVENTORS & INNOVATORS ALLIANCE, INC.$40.1M28%
L3 TECHNOLOGIES INC$39.7M28%
L3 TECHNOLOGIES, INC.$27.6M19%
VETERANS CONSTRUCTION LLC$5.6M3.9%
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS$4.7M3.3%

Spending by fiscal year

101MFY2017
145.8MFY2018
140.8MFY2019
133.6MFY2020
196MFY2021
222.1MFY2022
429.7MFY2023
157.7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$68.7M48%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$45.6M32%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$12.2M8.4%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$3.3M2.3%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$3.1M2.2%

Largest awards

DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, TESTING, SYSTEM SUPPORT, AND PRODUCTION OF SUBMARINE PHOTONICS MASTS$418.7M
L3 TECHNOLOGIES, INC.· Hampshire County, MA· Professional services· Jul 2, 2020 – Jun 10, 2026· N0002420C6249
PIO ORDERS$130.6M
L3 TECHNOLOGIES, INC.· Hampshire County, MA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Nov 22, 2016 – Oct 24, 2025· N0002415C6250
EHRM INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES - CENTRAL WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS$65.5M
RICHARD GROUP LLC· Hampshire County, MA· Construction & real property· Sep 27, 2023 – Aug 25, 2026· 36C77623C0115
MK20 EOSS MOD 1

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.1B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area: $7,009 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $1.1B; −4.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,009; US $12,975
Loan face value: $13.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$704.8M61%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$77.2M6.7%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$60.8M5.3%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$48.8M4.2%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$44.1M3.8%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$24.1M2.1%
47.084 · Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships$19.2M1.7%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$16.1M1.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS$130.8M11%
AMHERST, MA
NATIONAL COLLEGIATE INVENTORS & INNOVATORS ALLIANCE, INC.$18.9M1.6%
AMHERST, MA
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$11.2M1.0%
BOSTON, MA
NORTHAMPTON HOUSING AUTHORITY$10.3M0.9%
NORTHAMPTON, MA
COMMUNITY ACTION PIONEER VALLEY, INC.

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$854.9M74%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$69.6M6.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$50.9M4.4%
National Institutes of Health$50.7M4.4%
Department of Health and Human Services
National Science Foundation$37.9M

Assistance by fiscal year

1.1BFY2021
971.1MFY2022
1.1BFY2023
1.2BFY2024
1.2BFY2025
1.1BFY2026

County aggregates

81%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Hampshire CountyCentral county86164,065

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Massachusetts

Areas based in Massachusetts, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M11200

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved8

Declined8

Metro and micro areas like Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Massachusetts

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved8

Declined8

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought